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It is safe to say that if Otto Mears had not conceived the building of a railroad from the Uncompahgre Valley to Durango, Colorado there might never have been a town called Ridgway, Colorado. In October, 1889, the Articles of Incorporation of the Rio Grande and Southern Railroad were signed and headquartered in Ridgway. The name Ridgway came from Robert M. Ridgway, who had been involved with the construction of railroads for almost 40 years throughout the midwest and Colorado. He became the Superintendent of the Rio Grande Southern Construction Company in 1890.
Ridgway's booming years of 1890 and 1891 came to a sudden halt when the Silver Crises hit the state of Colorado and the nation and lasted 4 years. The price of silver continued to spiral downward and spread panic across the state. National elections were coming up in November of 1892 and people were hoping a new president would save the country. The election was a democratic landslide. Sound familiar ?
By July 27th, 1893 over 200 banks were said to have failed in Colorado alone. The founding fathers, each one, went into bankruptcy. The Rio Grande and Southern Railroad was forced to cut back by
The Roundhouse at Greg
Greg has done an amazing job building his own Roundhouse and villages. Even the turntable actually loads and unloads train cars like the real ones of yesteryear. This one is made of steel and he can actually walk on the top of this building.a reduction in force in all departments. On August 3, 1893, Mears was no longer President of the RG&S RR.
President Jeffery on the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad was appointed receivership. The dreams on which Ridgway was founded had suddenly vanished and the citizens faced an unknown and fearful future.
The receivership ended in 1895. Goods now being shipped included cattle and lumber replacing dependence upon the mining industry. During World War I the economy began to come back. The government used the railroads to transport items needed to continue the war. There was a great increase in traffic over the entire narrow gauge system. During the war the Ridgway shops had worked full time keeping the engines in operating condition. The interesting and inspiring features of Ridgways's depression years was the ingenius way the RGS fought for survival. They later began constructing railroad cars in Ridgway and using them for transport and to keep the railroad open during the snowy winters.
The Galloping Goose - Knowing that expense had to be cut, they devised the railbus later to be known as the Galloping Goose which would carry the mail, the freight and a few passengers for
much less money than running a steam train that distance.The galloping goose, the snowblower, and many other cars were built in Ridgway to try and keep the railroad open through the Rocky Mountains. Three of the Galloping Goose cars were built in 1931, the second and third being much larger than the first. A 4th and 5th Galloping Goose was built in 1932 and 1933. Goose number 6 was hatched in 1934. It was a flatbed used for many things other than carrying the mail and freight. It could be and was used for repair of the tracks, burning weeds, and general construction and repair of the track. The 7th and final Goose was built in 1936. All of the Galloping Goose cars were built in Ridgway shops. The engine and cab were old Pierce Arrow trucks which were cut into and then added onto in the rear.
On April 15, 1952 the "goose was cooked" and was sold to other parties and the employees of the railroad were all discharged which was a real financial blow to the small town of Ridgway. In 1976, the railroad abandoned Ridgway. Ridgway's future was over and almost faded into a ghost
town. With the coming of automobiles, buses and trucks, trains of the nation were being repelaced and so the last train left Ridgway never to return. When the Ridgway dam was built in 1987, it brought the town back to life. The Ridgway dam is an earthen dam on the Uncompahgre River which impounds the Uncompahgre Reservoir. Fishing is great here. There is also a wonderful Train Museum that you should see. We purchased Galloping Goose # 6 for our train at the RB&SWF RR in Florida.
Our friend there, Greg Posta, owns RGS Hobbies . He is a true railroad historian and he has a model railroad in his backyard that covers his entire hillside lot. He has built trestles, tunnels, roundhouses, and several towns there and it is an amazing sight to see what this man has done in his own back yard.
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